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. 2020 Sep 16;8(1):210-223.
doi: 10.1002/nop2.620. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in surgical patients at the hospital, 6 weeks and 6 months postsurgery: A questionnaire study

Herdís Sveinsdóttir  1   2 , Sigríður Zoëga  1   2 , Brynja Ingadóttir  1   2 , Katrín Blöndal  1   2
Affiliations

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in surgical patients at the hospital, 6 weeks and 6 months postsurgery: A questionnaire study

Herdís Sveinsdóttir et al. Nurs Open. .

Abstract

Aims: To describe prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in surgical patients at three time points: at hospital postsurgery (T1), 6 weeks (T2) and 6 months (T3) postdischarge from hospital; and detect situations and experiences that predict symptoms of anxiety and depression at T2 and T3.

Design: Prospective, explorative two-site follow-up study.

Methods: Patients having selected surgeries from January-July 2016 were invited to participate. Final participation was 390 patients. Participation involved answering questionnaires, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A stepwise multiple linear regression model was employed to calculate predictors of anxiety and depression.

Results: The proportion of patients presenting with moderate-to-severe anxiety or depression ranged from 5.4%-20.2% at different times. Major predictors of anxiety at both times were not feeling rested upon awakening and higher scores on HADS-Anxiety at T1 and T2 and at T2 also experiencing more distressing postoperative symptoms. For depression, the major predictors were at both times higher scores on HADS-Depression at T2 and T3 and also at T2 not feeling rested upon awakening and at T3 reporting delayed or very delayed recovery.The four models explained from 43.9%-55.6% of the variance in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our findings show that patients presenting with psychological distress at the hospital are in a vulnerable position. Also, that benefits of good sleep during the recovery should be emphasized during hospital stay.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; nursing; perioperative care; surgical patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flowsheet of patient participation in the study by Landspítali University (LUH) and Akureyri Hospital (AH)
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Percentage of patients presenting with moderate or significant anxiety or depression at the hospital (T1), 6 weeks (T2) and 6 months postdischarge (T3) by surgeries
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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